


Mirrored Paralysis

by HathorAroha



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alt!Chloe, Alt!max, Alternate Timeline, Hospitals, alternate timeline of THE alternate timeline, tw: car crash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22281298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HathorAroha/pseuds/HathorAroha
Summary: "She doesn’t remember taking off, yelling after Chloe, sprinting into the road, her only thought to save her..."Instead of Chloe ending up in the car crash in the alternate timeline, it is Max who ends up paralysed when she saves her childhood friend from being the victim of a speeding car when crossing the road. Chloe swears she will always visit her and never bail even if all of Max's other friends end up doing so.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Mirrored Paralysis

To think a day spent with friends on a road-trip--that just happened to have a stopover in Arcadia Bay--can change so fast, in such a dire and horrific manner, in a matter of seconds. The morning had begun as humdrum as any other, other than Max hanging out with her Seattle friends in a restaurant, yelling across the table at each other just to piss off the elderly patrons trying to have their boiled eggs and bacon in peace. They deserved a fucking road-trip after the stressful spate of classes and tests and assignments they’d all had thrown at them by their teachers. Of course, they had to have someone with a full driver’s license to chauffeur them around on their fun road-trip, and so Fernando’s older brother, Josh, had put up his hand for the job. 

Despite all the chatter and laughter of her big group of friends around her in the restaurant, and the enticing plate of bacon and omelette set before her, Max couldn’t help glancing out the window every now and again just to see if she could spot a familiar blonde girl just happening to pass by. 

_Would be kinda cool if I just happened to see her here. I haven’t been in touch with her for so long--so many parties, so many cool new friends and concerts to see in Seattle. Not to mention the Friday night clubbing._

As it so happened, just as the large group of friends, laughing and carefree, stepped out onto the quiet-ish street--clearly everyone had gone back to work after the lunch hour--Max hears someone yell her name, can just see out of the corner of her eye that someone is waving their arms at her from across the road. She turns her head to look to see who had just spotted her from across the road. Arcadia Bay was a small town, and it was of little surprise to her that she’d be easily recognised by _someone_. And that someone just happened to look exactly like her one and only friend she’d ever had in childhood: Chloe Elizabeth Price. 

“Max! Over here!” 

_The last and yet not the last person I ever expected to run into on our way through Arcadia Bay on our road trip._

She hadn’t seen Chloe in three years, and she had almost fallen out of touch with her, the natural drifting apart of friends over a long distance. It sucked that they’d ended up calling and texting each other so little, but the more Max had discovered her social clique and the party scene and clubbing, the less she had stayed in touch with Chloe. 

Nevertheless, a thrill runs through her at seeing her old childhood friend again, standing next to what could only have been the car she had received for her sixteenth birthday from her parents. She looks almost the same as she had three years ago, the same long gorgeous blonde hair, her Amazonian height (it seemed her growth spurt was never going to end--she was no doubt as tall as her father by now), her bouncy enthusiasm, and the clear joy at seeing Max again radiating from her like the warmth from the sun. 

_There’s a reason her parents often called her a little ray of sunshine when we were kids._

“MAX! Get over here!” 

“Uh, you know her?” Fernando asks, and Max nods. 

“Yeah, childhood friend. We grew up together before I moved here. I mean to Seattle.” 

Her friends in tow, Max checks for traffic before crossing the road.

“Come on, slowpoke, come give me a hug!” 

Max can’t help but break into a grin, leaving her friends behind as she runs to Chloe, who glomps her in a bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground, spinning her around before setting her back down, pulling back to gaze at her, hands firm on her shoulders.

“Wow, Max, what happened to _your_ growth spurt?” 

Max laughs, self-conscious again about her height--or lack thereof. 

“Might still be coming. I’m still only fifteen.” 

“And look at me, still growing.” 

“I can tell.” Max stops, turns around, suddenly all too conscious of her friends standing a few feet behind, probably awkwardly as they watch the reunion. “Oh, uh, these are my friends from Seattle. This one is Kristin, this one Fernando, that one Elaine, and that one Esther. The jocks back there are Harry and Josh.” 

There is a general response of greetings from them, ranging from “Yo, hottie” to “Yeah nice to meet you, I guess”. 

Max tosses her head back at them, grins at Chloe. “They’re my pot buddies.” 

She doesn’t bother holding back a shit-eating grin as Chloe’s jaw drops open, her face the picture of shock and admiration. 

“Whoa, you’re doing weed? At your age?” 

“It’s kinda fun, actually. You need to try it--getting high is awesome.” 

“You’ve changed a lot, Supermax. You’re not that shy little girl who left Arcadia Bay now, are you?”

“It’s all thanks to my posse back there. We go clubbing every night and everything,” Max turns to address them, “Right?” 

“The best concerts and parties ever,” Fernando affirms. 

“Hitting the best pubs on Friday nights--that’s us!” Kristin adds. 

“And I’m the wet blanket mom friend who drives these idiots back to their actual moms after the night’s done,” Esther says. “Or it’s Elaine over here doing that.” 

“True, true.” Elaine confirms. 

“Those jocks back there are such hockey nerds, Chloe,” Max points in Harry’s and Josh’s direction, “We so have managed to find a few awesome hockey matches to play and bet on. Seattle’s awesome.” 

“Sounds pretty fucking sweet to me!” Chloe crows, giving Max another hug. “Damn, I can’t believe we happened to cross paths today, right?” 

Max smiles, nods her agreement. “Right.” 

Chloe swoops her keys out of her pocket, jangling them before Max’s face. “We so should have a ride in my new baby, Max. You’re staying here longer, right, or just passing through?” 

“Yeah...passing through. Sorry, Chloe.” 

“Oh well,” Chloe doesn’t bother keeping the disappointment out of her voice, “Next time, I guess? You gotta admit, my new bad boy’s pretty cool, right.” 

Max looks back at Chloe’s car, the same one in the photo she had sent to her last year, with the beautiful blonde posing in front of it on her sixteenth. 

“Pretty fucking sweet, Chloe.”

“Well, gotta bounce, and I bet you want to hang out with your new friends instead of me.” 

“Chloe, of course I--”

“I’ll be popping into the diner quickly to help mom for a bit. Enjoy your time here. You’ll have fun without me, I guess.”

With that, Chloe jangles her keys again, replacing them in her pocket as she turns to check both ways for traffic. 

_Damn. I forgot how jealous she can get when I’m hanging out with other people. Next time, Chloe._

“Uh, bye then, Chloe,” Max waves at her friend, though her back is turned to her. “Next time.” 

Max is about to turn around to join her Seattle friends again when it happens--a chill, like a premonition of sorts has come to her. She can hear, more than see, that something heavy and loud is speeding down the road from well up ahead, ready to mow down anything and anyone in their way. And Chloe is about to be in its path if she walks across the road now. Max tenses, doesn’t hear her friends ask what’s wrong, only aware of what might happen, and that she doesn’t want to see Chloe hurt.

She can definitely hear it coming a _lot_ closer now, the pitch of its engine rising and rising as comes roaring down the street--not rumbly and loud enough to be a truck, but definitely bigger than a car. 

She doesn’t remember taking off, yelling after Chloe, sprinting into the road, her only thought to save her. 

“CHLOE!” 

Max swings her arms out, grabs Chloe’s arms, pulling her back just as the SUV started to screech to a halt, but never enough, far from enough to stop in time. Too little too late. 

“Chloe, look out!” 

She pushes Chloe out of the SUV’s path, hears yells and screams from onlookers, and at least five different honks from vehicles around them. Something slams into her from behind, and the ground leaves her feet, leaving nothing but air all around her. There is a crunch, more angry honks, people screaming and yelling. 

The last thing she hears is Chloe screaming her name.

“MAX!” 

Then--

Nothing.

* * *

Nothing. 

There is nothing to feel. 

Nothing to move, like she is outside her own body, a ghost that has forgotten what it is like to move or feel. So tired. So, _so, so_ tired. And there’s a constant beep near her ear. 

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

In time with her heartbeat, its pulse steady at her neck. 

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

Her throat is so dry, she wants water, she tries to speak, and feels something move in her neck, like there’s something there that shouldn’t be. 

She wants to move. 

_Come on._

_Do something._

_Feel something._

_Where am I?_

Eyes flicker under closed eyelids, her cracked mouth twitches, but still she can’t speak. 

Weird how she’s breathing too--like something is breathing for her, filling her lungs up with air, before pushing it out of her mouth again. 

_Inhale-exhale._

_Inhale-exhale._

Like she is a machine. 

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Inhale._

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Exhale._

Is that soft crying near her? Whispering? Why are her ears ringing? Why can’t she move? 

_Move, dammit. Just…_

What had happened to her? 

She knew _something_ had hit her, snapping her back. 

Then--

Nothing. 

_Move. How can I move? Come on--_

Her eyes crack open, the world a blur of colour, her eyes feeling itchy and sore. She can tell by the harsh white walls and the machines she can now see in her periphery vision, she is in a hospital. 

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Inhale. Beep. Exhale. Beep._

God. That infernal beeping was already driving her mad. 

“Uughhh…” she groans, tries to move--okay, she can move her head, but not her shoulders, her hands, her arms, her legs, her feet--it’s like everything below her will not or cannot move. 

It’s so hard to turn her head to the side to see what’s going on a few feet away. 

_The car… Chloe… a scream… my back… nothing… how long have I been out of it?_

Somehow she manages to gather enough energy to squint at whoever’s bent over with head in hands, hair falling over her face, obviously deeply upset, while someone--a man--stands next to her, rubbing her back soothingly. That blonde hair looks so familiar, long and--

_Chloe?_

Is that Chloe? And William? Why--

_I want to get up. I can’t. What’s happening to me?_

“C-Chloe…” she rasps, and the effort nearly knocks her unconscious again. 

_Chloe, stop crying. I’m fine… can’t move. Where’s my friends?_

Chloe doesn’t seem to notice Max’s faint vocal beckoning to her, but her dad does, his hand stilling on Chloe’s back as he looks up. 

“Max!” 

Max winces--his voice sounds too loud in her aching head, her ringing ears. At least she could feel _something_ , even if it was just excruciating pain. 

“Sorry,” he apologises, his voice a lot quieter as he walks to her, sitting down on the empty chair next to the hospital bed, “We were waiting for you to wake up. It’s been nearly a week.” 

_Oh shit._

“Is--Chloe okay?” 

“You saved my daughter, and she’s alive, and so are you, and that’s what matters.” 

“Why--” Max coughs, catches her breath again. “Chloe crying?” 

A sombre weight darkens William’s expression, and he places a hand on Max’s shoulder. She stares at his hand. It’s so strange--she knows he’s touching her shoulder, she can see it, but…

_Why can’t I feel it?_

“I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you this,” he says in a low voice, “It should be your parents or the doctor--” 

“Where...my parents?” 

“They stepped out for a break while Chloe and I are here for a bit. We were all afraid we would lose you for a while there.” 

_I can’t feel his hand. I can’t move anything. Shit._ Shit. _Am I…_

“That car… it hit me…” Max recalls, spotting Chloe getting up out of her chair, slowly making her way around to the other side of the bed, her eyes red and swollen. 

“Drunk prick totaled my car too,” she adds, sitting down on Max’s bed. “Rich kid with rich family who’ll bail him out, probably. Bastard.” 

_You’re alive, Chloe…_

“Am I--” Max can’t bring herself to say it, even as it becomes so terribly obvious to her as Chloe stares down at her bed, takes Max’s hand between her own. 

_I want to hold her hand. I want to feel her hand holding mine. And I can’t--fuck, I can’t!_

“I’m paralysed.” 

Max’s words are flat, dead, and her whole _soul_ aches to get up and hug Chloe, hating seeing her crying like this. 

“M-Max--” Chloe finally speaks, sniffling, wiping her eyes with the back of a hand. “It’s so fucking unfair--you saved me, you _saved_ me.” 

“I’ll step out to let you have a chat,” William says, turning to leave. “Good to see you awake again, Max.”

After he has left, closing the door behind him, Max tries to work her lips into a smile, never taking her eyes off Chloe. “You’re alive…” 

_No more parties, no more concerts, no more socialising...unless I’m with Chloe._

But Chloe shakes her head, reaching over to grab a tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. 

“But you were paralysed by that as--by that driver--he mowed into you instead.” 

“Felt back snap…” Max whispers, closing her eyes, drowsiness threatening to swamp her again. 

Max can hear Chloe sucking in a shuddering breath. “I’ll never get that image out of my head, Max. Of you--the car…” 

There is so much sleepiness surrounding Max, she can barely force herself to stay awake. Her only thought is to try to distract Chloe from the horrible images that no doubt had played in her head every day since… since it happened. 

She forces her eyes open, thinking if she focuses hard enough on Chloe, she’ll stay awake. 

“Did any...my friends...cell-phone? Visit?” 

Chloe shrugs, slumping a little. “Sorry, I dunno. Hopefully they have.” 

_Won’t blame them if they don’t. I can’t have fun anymore. I can’t go clubbing every night. It’s so not fair. But Chloe’s alive. How can I say it’s unfair when it means she’s okay?_

“It doesn’t matter,” Max mumbles, “They’ll probably leave me eventually. I can’t go clubbing anymore, or go to concerts. I don’t want to go back to Seattle. What if--what if no one visits once they see me?” 

“I’ll beat ‘em up myself,” Chloe declares, sounding like she’s trying to be tough and cheerful even despite her voice being thick with unshed tears. “I’m never leaving you, Max. Okay?” 

“But I’ll have to go back to Seattle.” 

“I’ll come up when I can, as often as I can. I’ll get a proper job, save up enough so I can drive all the way up to Seattle and keep you company. I’ll bring all the movies I have with me so we can have all the movie nights. It’ll be _Blade Runner_ and _Back to the Future_ and all those awesome flicks we both love.” 

“But…” 

Chloe folds her arms, her face the picture of defiance. “No buts. I’ll always, _always_ love you, I’m never going to leave you, even if everyone else decides they can’t handle you like this. Because I _can_ and I _will._ Got it?” 

_She means it so much. She’s so...real. I hope she’s right._

Max’s eyes droop shut, her head lolling to the side as sleep rapidly descends upon her.

_Please don’t leave me, Chloe. Not after I saved you._

The last thing she feels before falling back into unconsciousness is fingers tucking her hair behind her ear, and she senses Chloe leaning over to whisper close to her. 

“Even if everyone else decides to abandon you, I’m never bailing on you. Ever. I’ll always have your back. _Always_. I love you, Max. See you around.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Not a very long fic by any means (just under 3000 words), but this idea wasn't leaving me alone, so had to write it all down. And yes, it did make me think about the implications for what would happen when main timeline Max enters this world, especially since she'd enter without any knowledge of this alternate timeline (which is now an AU in of itself), and definitely not knowing how to work, say, a motorised wheelchair or a mouth-controlled joystick of the sort Chloe has in the original alternate reality.
> 
> Unless, of course, this is just another alternate universe Max *might* have ended up finding herself in after the photo jump, but instead ended up in one where Chloe is paralysed. Just another one of many universes bubbling from the fabric of the cosmos.


End file.
